The Phillips Legacy
by Twichie
Summary: A one shot vignette with Peggy (post Steve's crash) and Colonel Phillips. And also a little fun connection to another beloved (and quite unexpected) Marvel character.


_Author's Note: I had to write this story! It's been kicking around in my brain for a while (and I wasn't sure whether to label it Captain America or Agent Carter or even Agents of Shield, but I figured I'd go with the one that has Colonel Phillips featured prominently!) and I finally decided to set it free. I hope you like it!_

_Also, I'm so sorry I haven't updated my ongoing fic - Chiara's Tale - in a while. I was diagnosed with cancer a year ago and have been going through chemo/radiation and have had many surgeries. I have the all clear now and have slowly been getting back into writing, so hopefully I'll be able to get back to it soon! In the meantime, I really do hope you enjoy this one. :)_

"I'm too old for this…"

"Chester!" his wife cut him off with an angry glare. He looked at her shaking finger which happened to be aimed in his general direction and he was struck once again with their age. He'd never expected to live this long. It just wasn't supposed to be in the cards. He was a soldier. A fighter. He was supposed to die wrapped in glorious honor on the battlefield. Instead, he was here. Old. Tottering. Eating food that reminded him of the mushed up garbage he used to clean off of the high chair after his kids were done eating. A steak. That's what he needed. A big, thick…

"What time did you tell her?" Helen's voice cut through his mouth watering food fantasy.

"Seventeen forty five. On the dot." He lifted a stringy, gray wrist and squinted at the numbers on his watch. "She's got three minutes and thirty-one seconds. She'll be here. Never late. Always liked that about her."

Helen nodded and smiled. Her husband had very few soft spots in his heart for others. Their small family. And…

The doorbell rang and he tittered as much as a grumpy old man was able. Getting dressed up nice and destroying his afternoon television time. What was the point of these visits? Helen chuckled to herself as she listened to his tirade. He griped about these meetings, but she knew he loved them.

The door cracked open with a loud squeak, pouring bright sunlight and the accompanying waves of heat into their home.

"You are fifteen seconds early." The old gruff military voice carried through the house. "What if you showed up early to a mission and your back up wasn't in place?"

"Then I'd have to battle my way out." The smooth lilting voice hadn't changed in all of the years Helen had heard it. "And the whole time I'd be sorry I didn't have you watching my six Colonel Phillips."

"You never needed anyone to watch your six."

"Peggy! Sweetheart!" Helen interrupted to step in and wrap her arms around the beautiful young woman. "Come in! Come in. Don't let Chester keep you out here in the sun! I don't know if it's hotter this year than normal or if it's just the years on my bones." Helen cupped Peggy's elbow and leaned in, delighted to spend more time with her. It wasn't only Chester who loved Peggy Carter.

The colonel strode into the living room, back rigid and head held high. Helen loved watching the old military man come back to life whenever Peggy visited. He settled into his brown tweed chair and gave Peggy a hard glance as she sat on the edge of the couch. They rarely saw her relax. She was always on point. It was another thing he admired about her.

"What's the sit rep young lady?"

"Oh Chester! Let her breathe." Helen smacked lightly at his shoulder. "Peggy, can I get you some lemonade?"

"I'd love that Helen. Thank you." Her rich, warm voice settled through the room, soothing the colonel's rough edges.

Helen shuffled toward the kitchen and Phillips trained his eye on Peggy. She met his gaze evenly and the two of them communicated without words for a few seconds before her ruby lips curved into a smile. "Everything is calm Colonel. All is well. Howard's name has been cleared. He's back in the lab creating new weapons to help fight communism. SSR is functioning well. All is good."

Helen came back into the room, a tray between her trembling hands. Peggy reached up to take it, caressing the worn hand for a few seconds before she settled it on the coffee table in front of them. "Come Helen. Rest. Let me serve you."

"Oh no! You're a guest!"

"After all these years, the girl's not a guest. She's family." Phillips' gruff voice barked. Red spots appeared in Peggy's cheeks, accompanied by a pleased smile.

Peggy poured the lemonade for all of them and passed out biscuits. She told them about the recent events she'd taken place in as part of the Fourth of July. Colonel Phillips had been invited to several, but his age and exhaustion combined with the dreadful heat partnered to keep him at home. All for the best. The children they had in uniform these days did little but anger him.

The phone rang, shrill in the quiet living room. Helen let out a startled yelp and then skittered her way to the kitchen to pick up the heavy black receiver.

"Oh Ches! It's Robert! Julie's gone into labor. No what…?" She scrunched her eyes and listened as her son in law's voice crackled across the line. "She had the baby! What?"

Chester leaned forward while Peggy smiled and observed them. Julie was their only daughter. She'd married Robert a few years ago. The wedding had been a beautiful outdoor affair at one of George Washington's homes. Strings had been pulled by Phillips for the first time in his career and everyone had bent over backwards to help the daughter of a national treasure.

Peggy glanced at her watch. Phillips was wrapped in his wife's conversation. She knew she was an outsider at this point.

"I should go. You're going to want to go and see your grand..." she trailed off, realizing that she hadn't yet heard whether son or daughter would best fit the end of that sentence. "Child."

"No, kid. Stick around. We'll all celebrate."

"It's a boy!" The years melted away from Helen's voice and she danced around the kitchen. "We've got a grandson!"

Chester nodded, a big smile plastered on his face. "Good. We can raise one that isn't a mealy mouthed, spoiled rotten…"

"Ches! Stop!" Helen cut her husband off with an angry glare.

"Congratulations Colonel. That's wonderful news. I'm sure he's beautiful." Peggy stood. "I should go. I have another meeting."

"So soon?"

She stepped to the side of his chair and bent over. "If I leave now, Helen won't try and set me up with your neighbor's son. Or nephew. Or the nice boy she met in the grocery store. Now is the best time to make a clean exit." She kissed his cheek, leaving a smear of red lips. She ran her thumb over the stain until it blended with the man's flushed red cheeks. He reached up and put a grizzled old paw over her hand and once again, they held a silent conversation. He was worried about her. He'd always loved that she worked so much but now…a beautiful young woman needed more than work.

Peggy slid her hand from his cheek, her eyes full of regret. She knew. She understood everything he was thinking. Unfortunately, she had nothing to say that could ease his concerns, so she forced a smile and a wink.

"Tell Helen I'll be in touch soon. Maybe for that dinner she's been anxious to have."

Colonel Phillips nodded, his eyes still troubled. But with a soft click of her heels on the wooden floor,

The sound of the door closing covered the click of the phone as Helen replaced the handset in the cradle. She practically bounced into the room – a feat for someone her age.

"He's doing just fine and…oh!" She glanced around. "Where's Peggy?"

"She had another meeting."

Helen clucked her tongue and, with a shake of her head, she went to the front of the house and pulled back the curtains so she could see the street. Peggy was climbing into the driver's seat of a large black car. "So sad. She's such a pretty thing. She could…"

"Helen…" the Colonel's voice was a growl. No matter how many times they'd had this conversation, he was convinced they'd have it that many more in the future.

"I know what you've told me. I know." She shook her head. "But so many girls lost people in the war and they're moving on. Or they've moved on. She could be happy if…"

"I don't think so. I was there. I saw them. There was something special. They thought they were hiding it but everyone knew."

"But she could get married and…"

"And she might." He cut her off. "We don't know that she won't. But I'm telling you Helen. That kid was the one for her. The only really right one for her." His eyes unfocused and Helen knew he was replaying memories. "Never seen anything like them. Never will again." He shook his head. "Now what about our new boy?"

"Oh yes! Robert says we can come tonight and see him. Everyone's doing well and he's healthy. Eight pounds six ounces." She clapped in delight. "I can't wait to hold him!"

"Do they have a name for him yet?"

"Yes! He told me…what was it? Oh!" she grinned at him, a twinkle in her eye. He knew she was teasing. She was really the only person on the planet who could get away with it. "Philip."

His eyes clouded with tears. "They named him Philip?"

"Yes. Julie said they wanted to name him after you but they didn't feel Chester was right. So Philip it is."

Chester blinked hard and shook his head. "Well, we'd better get over there don't you think? I can't imagine Grandma will wait too long to see her baby boy."

"You're darn tootin! Let me grab my sweater!"

"Sweater?! It's July!"

"Those hospitals are always cold." She closed the closet door and looked at him. "Hurry up!"

"Yes ma'am. Let's go meet young Philip Coulson."


End file.
